Australia will open new quarantine center

Later this year, all pets will be required to go to the new quarantine center in Melbourne. The Perth quarantine center closed last year, and with the opening of the new center, the facility in Sydney will close too. The problem with Melbourne is that the pets must travel there directly. Compared to Sydney, there will only be a couple flights a day from LAX for all pets, compared to several airlines each with multiple flights per day from LAX and San Francisco. While more pets will be allowed per plane, chances are that we will not always get the flight or date wanted.

Will no direct flights from the east coast or from Canada, it means we will be sending all pets to LAX to another agent and colleague to finalize documents or, at a minimum, collect off a domestic flight and then hand off on a Qantas flight.

Additionally, the fees for quarantine, arrival, and permits have increased. The new facility houses not only dogs and cats, but also birds, horses and all other animal imports.

The rules for importation into Australia are stringent, and the preparation starts months in advance. This is not a move that can take place on short notice, nor is it inexpensive. Cats are easier than dogs, since the blood testing required for dogs is not applicable to cats.